The Turkey Nightclub Shooter Has Been Identified By Authorities

The lone gunman killed 39 people on New Year's Eve.

Authorities in Turkey say they've identified the individual who's suspected of killing 39 people and wounding 60 more at an Istanbul nightclub on New Year's Eve.

While they haven't released his name yet and are still culling through conflicting reports as to who he is, Turkish news agencies and NPR say that the suspect is "a national of the Central Asian nation of Kyrgyzstan" around the age of 25 with a wife and child. The man reportedly entered Turkey by way of Syria, and USA Today reports that he may be part of China's "Muslim Uighur minority."

The official announcement of the suspect was delayed after the man's supposed passport was shown on a Turkish news station. It was promptly taken off the air, and Turkish authorities say they're still determining the authenticity of the passport. There is also footage going around of the suspected gunman filming a video of himself at a nearby square in Istanbul.

Additionally, authorities are racing to find a connection to ISIS after the terrorist organization took credit for the shooting, calling him a "heroic soldier of the caliphate," the New York Daily News reports. Turkish officials have also increased their attacks on ISIS fighters in the northern part of Syria. Peter Kenyon, NPR's Istanbul-based correspondent, reported that military officials told its state-run media agency that the organization's efforts had killed "at least" 18 ISIS fighters in the first 24 hours and hit around 150 ISIS targets.

Turkish officials have also reportedly detained around a dozen other individuals in connection to the attack, though their identities have yet to be released.